PLANTACLIM

In the context of climate change, forest plantations are expected to play an increasing role as a means of mitigation, by sequestering and storing carbon and by producing local biosourced materials, replacing other more energy-intensive materials (concrete …). They are also a means of faster adaptation of the vegetation present locally, but the planted species will have to adapt themselves (water deficit, increased risks: parasites, fires…). Their presence and their future come up against brakes and obstacles that this project aims to identify and overcome, by focusing on forest plantations in the Centre-Val de Loire Region, using the example of pine and poplar plantations. The first step will be to draw up an inventory of these (re)plantations and the services they provide. Their environmental (soils, biodiversity, pests), economic (wood supply and demand in the region) and socio-cultural (recreational activities, how plantations are perceived) characteristics will be studied, while questioning the influence of their location and the methods of planting, management and exploitation (clear-cutting). Scenarios of adaptation to climate and socio-economic changes will be proposed, with the aim of meeting society’s expectations (desire for nature), limiting the negative impacts on the environment and landscapes, encouraging the use of local bio-sourced materials, in order to contribute to the future of the sector in the Region, by including it in sustainable development.